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General Motors Chief Executive Mary Barra says she "will not rest" until she fixes the "deep underlying cultural problems" at the root of the company's decade-long failure to identify and fix a deadly safety flaw in its vehicles blamed for at least 13 deaths.

In prepared remarks released ahead of her appearance Wednesday before the U.S. House Committee on Energy & Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, Barra says "I am not afraid of the truth." She also says she will not accept business as usual at GM. "It's time — in fact, it’s past time — to insist on total accountability and make sure that vital information is shared across all functions in our company."

It is Barra's second visit to Capitol Hill to testify about why GM waited more than 10 years to recall millions of vehicles equipped with a faulty ignition switch that could cut power to the vehicle, including the steering system and airbags, when the key is jostled.

After her first appearance, in early April, Barra was criticized for not being able to answer many of the fundamental questions about what went wrong, citing an ongoing internal investigation. Her performance was even spoofed in a "Saturday Night Live" skit. Now that the probe by former U.S. Attorney Anton Valukas is complete, she will have more answers. Valukas, who wrote the 325-page report, will also testify Wednesday.

Valukas' report uncovered a "pattern of incompetence and neglect" within GM, said Barra, who described his findings "extremely thorough, brutally tough and deeply troubling." When she testifies Wednesday, she will outline the actions GM has taken since then, which include:

1. Firing 15 employees, and disciplining 5 others.

2. Revamping safety decision-making to include senior management.

3. A comprehensive safety review that has led to a sharp increase in recalls for potential safety issues.

4. A new Global Product Integrity organization to enhance overall safety and quality.

5. Establishing a victims' compensation fund managed by disaster relief expert Kenneth Feinberg, who will decide who is eligible and how much they should receive.

6. A new vice president of Global Safety, Jeff Boyer, who will work more closely with GM's legal department.

8. Encouraging employees to report potential safety problems quickly through a new program called Speak Up For Safety.

Even so, Barra will be grilled once again on questions such as:

Is the Valukas report the end of GM’s internal investigation of the facts related to the ignition switch recall?

Does GM believe other investigations and recalls were affected by the kinds of systemic failures and mistakes that contributed to the ignition switch crisis?

How did the culture and systemic problems that are identified in the Valukas report develop at GM? What must be done to address these problems and when will GM know if they have been successfully fixed?